guttman



June 15, 1965 Y. R. GUTTMAN 3,188,660

HOSPITAL BED MATTRESS Filed Feb. 10. 1964 V I v INVENTOR. F|G.5 YO!!-.AN R. GUTTMAN ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,188,660 HOSPITAL BED MATTRESS Yolan R. Guttman, Box 304, Radio City Station, New York, N.Y. Filed Feb. 10, 1964, Ser. No. 343,653 4 Claims. (Cl. -91) This invention relates in general to mattresses and, more particularly, to mattresses for hospital beds.

An object of this invention is to provide a mattress construction for hospital beds particularly adapted to be used with contour sheets.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hospital mattress construction which may be more easily turned and made by a single nurse.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a mattress construction for hospital beds, the mattress being formed in two parts so that the mattress may be rotated and turned to provide a great deal of additional wear.

A further object of this invention is to provide a mattress for an articulated hospital bed, the mattress being more comfortable for a patient.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a mattress construction which will require lessened replacement and maintenance costs over a period of years in institutions and hospitals.

Many other objects, advantages and features of invention reside in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts involved in the embodiment of the invention and its practice as will be understood from the following description and accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of the mattress of my invention resting on an articulated hospital bed spring in a horizontal position;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the mattress of my invention resting on an articulated hospital bed spring in a partially raised position with a fragment of the head portion shown in a completely raised position in dotted lines;

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the mattress and spring of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal vertical section through fragments of the abutting ends of two inner spring mattress sections connected according to my invention and having contour sheets placed over them; and

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of an elastic connecting element and an attachment strap with a portion of the attachment strap broken away.

Referring to the drawing in detail, a standard hospital bed has a spring which has an articulated head portion 11 and lower portions 12 and 13 which are joined to a fixed portion 14. Standard hand cranked mechanisms (not shown) are provided to raise the head portion 11 and the lower portions 12 and 13 into the positions shown in FIGURE 2.

The mattress of this invention is formed in two sections, a head section 16 and a main or lower section 17. The head section 16 is made to correspond substantially to the head portion 11 of spring 10 so that the abutting edges of the sections 16 and 17 fall substantially over the pivot between the head portion 11 and the fixed portion 14.

Each mattress section 16 and 17 has four female snap fastening portions 18 fixed to each side in suitably formed depressions 19 as shown in FIGURE 4. The snap fastening portions 18 are disposed four to six inches from the sides of sections 16 and 17 and about four to ten inches from their transverse edges or ends. Two elastic strips 20 have male snap fastening portions 21 fixed to their ends. Thus the elastic strips 20 may be secured between "ice the lower adjacent snap fastening portions 18 of the head and lower portions 16 and 17. When the spring 10 is in the position shown in FIGURE 1, the elastic strips 20 should exert a force of ten to fifteen pounds each urging the mattress sections together.

When the head portion 11 of spring 10 is raised as shown in FIGURE 2, the elastic strips 20 stretch allowing the mattress sections to move in relation to each other. As the head portion 11 is raised to its maximum elevation, the head section 16 will ride up over the main or lower section 17 as shown in dotted lines.

To keep the mattress sections 16 and 17 in position on an articulated spring 10, two webbing straps 22 are fixed by means of a snap fastening portion 21 to one end of an elastic strip 20. The unattached ends 23 of the strips 22 are fastened about the spring 10 by means of snaps 24 or any other suitable fasteners such as a gripping buckle 25. The straps of webbing 22 prevent the lower sections 17 of secured mattresses from moving downward when the head portions 11 of the springs 10 are raised. The straps 22 are all the fastening means required to hold a mattress according to this invention securely on a bed as the raising of the head portion 11 tends to move the entire mattress unit downward toward the foot of the bed. However, if it is desired, additional pairs of straps 25 and 26 may be provided to secure the mattress sections 16 and 17 to spring 10.

The mattress of this invention enjoys may advantages. It may be used with conventional sheets which may be easily tucked in under the sides and ends of the mattress sections at least up to the fastening devices 18. In addition, the mattress of this invention is particularly well suited to be used with contour sheets. As shown in FIGURE 4, the contour sheets 27 and 28 may be easily passed over the sections 16 and 17 to have their lower edges 29 and 30 extend under the sections.

When contour sheets are used on a conventional one piece mattress placed on an articulated spring 10, the desirable wrinkle free surfact provided by contour sheets is lost when the bed is placed in a raised position because the raising of the bed allows even a contour sheet to slacken and wrinkle. However, two separate contour sheets 27 and 28 placed about the mattress section 16 and 17 will always provide a smooth wrinkle free surface.

The bed of this invention is particularly easy to make. The strips 20 may be readily detached or merely stretched to have the contour sheets bottom portions 29 and 30 inserted between and under the mattress sections 16 and 17. The contour sheets 27 and 28 are then easily placed about the remainder of each mattress section.

If it is desired to turn a mattress section while making a bed, the turning of the mattress is easily accomplished by one person as the sections may be disconnected and easily handled. The mattress of this invention wears considerably longer and may be used over a number of years with less expense by large institutions and hospitals. Since the greatest amount of wear on the mattress takes place just below the raised head portion 16 at the upper edge of the lower section 17, section 17 may be inverted and rotated end for end to provide four portions to present to the place greatest wear. A conventional mattress may only be turned over to present two areas to the place of greatest wear. After a number of years, even a lower section 17 may wear out. It may then be discarded and another section 17 used with the upper section 16 which will wear more slowly as it is subjected to less strain.

Since hospital beds are built to a relatively few given standard dimensions, sections 16 and 17 may be provided in only two different sizes to fit over ninety percent of all existing American hospital beds. Further, any standard mattress construction techniques may be used to make the mattress sections of this invention: FIGURE 4 shows inner springs 32 surrounded by conventional padding 31. The sections 16 and 17 are easier to ship, handle and store,

While this inventionzhas been disclosed rin thebest form known to me, it will nevertheless be understood that this is pnrely exemplary and that modificationsin the construction and theusubstit utiontof materials may,

be made without departing from the spirit of my invention except as it may be more limited in the appended claims whereinI claim;

1. A mattress for a 7 moving articulated headportion, said mattress comprising, in combination, a main mattress section, ahead mattress section substantially ,coveringthe head portion of said bed fastening means each beingfixed to said mattress sections near one ofthe .four corners of, each side of eachof said mattress sections, and two elastic strips extending across abutting edges of saidlm'ainrmattress section and said head mattress section and engag-- ing corresponding adjoining fastening means on; the

undersides of said mattress sections urging said sections together. v V

2. The combination according to claim 1 with the addition of means fixed to a pair of said fastening means on the underside of said main mattress section and fixedto said hospital bed restraining said mattress sections from downward movement on saidhospital bed. a

3. The combinationaccording to claim 2 wherein said hospital bed having ,an upwardly r of each side of said sections, said fastening means being within .said depressions.

4. A mattress for a hospital bed having an upwardly moving articulated headportion, said mattress comprising,

in combination, a main mattress section, a head mattress section substantially covering'the head portion of said 1 'bed, fastening means each being fixed to said'mattress sections near one'of the four corners 'of each side of each a of said mattress sections, two elastic strips, fastening mattress sections contain depressions near the ,cQ ners means on the ends ,of said elastic strips engaging corresponding adjoining, fastening means on the undersides of said mattress sections so that saidstrips extend across "References Cited by the Examiner t UNITED STATESYPATENT S 7/10 Klirnowicz 591 "1,029,370 6/12 Jacobs 5i-322 X 1,384,600 '7/21 ICOil 5-322 71,927,109 9/373 Abrams r;l 5322 -X FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A MATTRESS FOR A HOSPITAL BED HAVING AN UPWARDLY MOVING ARTICULATED HEAD PORTION, SAID MATTRESS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A MAIN MATTRESS SECTION, A HEAD MATTRESS SECTION SUBSTANTIALLY COVERING THE HEAD PORTION OF SAID BED, FASTENING MEANS EACH BEING FIXED TO SAID MATTRESS SECTIONS NEAR ONE OF THE FOUR CORNERS OF EACH SIDE OF EACH OF SAID MATTRESS SECTIONS, AND TWO ELASTIC STRIPS EXTENDING ACROSS ABUTTING EDGES OF SAID MAIN MATTRESS SECTION AND SAID HEAD MATTRESS SECTION AND ENGAG- 